Crossword Genius

Country brewed lager with excellent backing (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

algeria

'country' is the definition.
(I know that Algeria is a country)

'brewed lager with excellent backing' is the wordplay.
'brewed' indicates an anagram.
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'excellent' becomes 'ai' (resembles 'A1', old-fashioned term for excellent).
'backing' says the letters should be written backwards.
'ai' back-to-front is 'ia'.
'lager' anagrammed gives 'alger'.
'alger'+'ia'='ALGERIA'

(Other definitions for algeria that I've seen before include "country in Africa" , "It lies between Morocco and Tunisia" , "North African republic" , "Land" , "republic in Africa" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
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